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EMMY WINNER EDWARD JAMES OLMOS, CCH POUNDER GUEST-STAR -- Sam (Rob Lowe) and Toby (Richard Schiff) are dispatched to Connecticut for some damage control and to secure the secret release of President Bartlet's (Martin Sheen) primary choice (guest star and Emmy Award winner Edward James Olmos, "Miami Vice") for the Supreme Court, who has been jailed for alleged drunk driving and resisting arrest. Meanwhile, Josh (Bradley Whitford) is a guest lecturer at a college class to talk about working for the President and he recounts the previous week's flare-ups, which include: his feeble attempt to fill in as the White House spokesman at a press conference where he promises that the President has "a secret plan to fight inflation," and the media glare that engulfs the African-American HUD secretary (guest star CCH Pounder, "ER") who publicly labeled a prominent Republican as a racist. Summary Something similar happened to presidential candidate Richard Nixon who said he had a plan to end the Vietnam War (when he really didn't have a plan). Video on the History Channel, [http://www.csmonitor.com/1997/1209/120997.opin.column.1.html an in-depth essay from the Christian Science Monitor],'' and background on Wired.." Back in the lecture hall, the audience is dismissed for a brief break, and Josh calls Toby and Sam for an update on Mendoza. Toby tells him that they still haven't found the police station, since Sam was navigating by the North Star which turned out to be an airplane. "It's a miracle we're not in Nantucket!" Josh asks how hard it can be to find, and Toby asks him to tell more about the President's secret plan to fight inflation. Sam is going to pull into a store and ask where the police station is, but Toby tells him he can pull in at the Wesley police station, which they have stumbled across. Act III In the police station, Sam introduces himself to the officer on duty at the desk, Peter, and tells him to get his watch commander. The man asks if this is a joke, and Sam assures him it isn't. Sam tells him that while they are in a bit of trouble, he is in a lot more trouble, and tells him to get his watch commander now. Sergeant MacNamara enters, and Sam tells him that they are from the White house, and that they have arrested Roberto Mendoza, and that they are there to release him. MacNamara tells them that he is in no mood for a joke, and tells Sam to state their business or leave. The desk officer suddenly recognizes Toby from a photo in the newspaper where he is standing behind the President. Sam tells MacNamara that he has arrested a Federal judge who is a nominee for the Supreme court. The phone starts ringing, and Sam tells him he should answer--it's the Governor of Connecticut. At the lecture, Josh has continued to talk about how the Press Conference spun out of control, with Danny, Sondra, Steve and Jesse bombarding him with questions about the secret plan to fight inflation. Josh, looking like a deer in the headlights, catches Danny's eye as Danny looks smugly at him. The Press Conference ends, and Donna comes to him, followed by C.J., and then Toby, all of them very upset with him. "A secwet pwan to fight infwation?!" C.J. yells. C.J. tells Josh he is never allowed near the press room again. Sam enters and tells them that they have another problem--it's Mendoza. In the lecture hall, Josh tells the audience that Supreme Court nominees are supposed to let the White house speak for them, something they have been unable to teach Judge Mendoza. In Leo's office, they find that Mendoza told the ''Chicago Tribune that the president was wrong to demand that Secretary O'Leary apologize to Wooden. C.J. tells Leo that the "Pwesident" needs to be "bwiefed" on the Mendoza situation. Toby: "C.J., so help me if you use the words 'Pwesident' or 'bwiefed' again..." Leo tells them that the President will be in New Orleans for a labor conference in an hour, and that there will be no press there. When he is done, he will come straight back. Josh tells him that most of the day was their fault, and the president won't take this very well. They will be with Leo in spirit when he meets with the President. Leo tells him that the senior staff--all of them--will meet with the President in the Oval office in the morning at seven. At the lecture, Josh tells the audience that in the 8 weeks since Mendoza was named, he has publicly crtitcized the American Bar Association, the AFL-CIO. and the New York State Legislature, three groups that all helped the President get elected. The only thing they had handled successfully was the Deborah O'Leary issue, and Mendoza stirred it up again. Josh's phone rings, and it is Sam telling him they have arrived and are handling the situation. At the police station, Toby is admitted to Mendoza's cell, and they begin to have their abrupt discussion. Act IV At the lecture, Josh tells him that while the hardest Job in the White House is President, the second hardest job is Charlie Young's, the President's personal aide. Of his many duties, the one he hates the most is waking the President in the morning. And, in this instance, the President had gone to sleep only three hours earlier. At the White House, Charlie is calling the President for his morning wake-up call. He is very groggy and very angry, and wonders why he is being awakened so early. Charlie details the President's morning schedule, and asks if he wants coffee. "Sir, I need you to dig in now. It wasn't a nightmare--you really are the President." At the lecture, Josh tells them that Mendoza was summoned to the White House, and such summons often are answered within an hour. Judge Mendoza would be taking his time, however, stopping for antiquing in Connecticut. More bad news for the President, who still wasn't awake. At the White House, A steward named Billy informs Charlie that he has been knocking but has gotten no answer, and that the shower is not running. Charlie enters and wakes a very grumpy President. "How'd you know the First Lady wasn't gonna be naked when you came in here?" Charlie reminds him that she is in Argentina. Charlie also reminds him that he has a busy day ahead, and that he has to get up, shower, and get dressed. The President agrees and gets out of bed, happy that at least Charlie got less sleep that he did. In the Oval office outer office, the staff waits nervously for the President to arrive. He does: "I'm tired, I'm cranky, and my wife's in Argentina. Let's get this over with!" The staff details the Public Relations disasters of the previous day. Josh tells him the O'Leary incident, which had been settled, flared up again. The Press Conference was moved to trumpet the education bill, CJ had her dental surgery and wasn't able to do the Press Conference. When Josh tells the President he did, his only response is "Oh God!" The President will be reading about the President's secret plan to fight inflation, and Josh tries to explain what happened, to the President's dismay. "Before we go on, C.J.: If blood is gushing from the head wound you just received from a stampeding herd of Bison, you'll do the press briefing." Toby interrupts, telling the President that as much as he is enjoying the beating Josh is taking, there are bigger problems with Mendoza. The President says that C.J. will untangle the press corps, and they will wait for Mendoza to arrive, and hope that nothing happens today to make things worse. "Though I certainly wouldn't bet the house on it!" As they leave, Josh tells the President that he should say he hasn't smoked in years, and that the cigarette he bummed was for a friend. "Get. Out." At the lecture, David asks what happened with Judge Mendoza, and Josh tells him that they haven't met with him yet. In Wesley, MacNamara tells Sam that he was the one who pulled Mendoza over, and that his driving was erratic--he could have been drinking. Sam tells him that Mendoza has chronic persistent hepatitis, a non-progressive form of liver inflammation, and that if he had drunk enough alcohol to be legally drunk he would be dead. In the cell, Toby wonders why the judge didn't take a breathalyzer, and Mendoza tells him that there was no just cause--it would have been an illegal search and a civil rights violation. Toby asks why he gave the local cop a hard time just to make a point, and Mendoza tells him that it was a point worth making. "Not here and not now" Toby tells him. The whole situation could have been resolved with one phone call. Mendoza tells Toby he was pulled over for driving while Hispanic. Toby tells the judge that they are leaving, but he refuses, stating that he is under arrest. Come Monday, he will avail himself of the legal system for which he has worked all his life. He was handcuffed, frisked, and loaded into a squad car in front of his wife and 9 year old son. Toby tells him his son has seen him in a robe with a gavel, but Mendoza tells him that his son doesn't understand that--he understands the police. Toby tells him the whole situation stinks, but that there is nothing about it that can't get better if he is appointed to the Supreme Court. In the lobby, Toby enters with Judge Mendoza following. Toby tells the officers that they are lucky. There will be no record of the arrest, no investigation, and no suspensions. There will also be no $100 million lawsuits against the county which they would certainly lose. What will happen, though, is that they will apologize the Judge Mendoza on the spot, and that they will then follow them to the hotel where his wife and son are staying and apologize to them. They quickly agree. Outside, Sam calls Josh and tells him that the situation has been resolved. At the lecture, Josh promises that the phone won't ring again. David asks if there is anything Josh can tell him about the situation, and Josh tells him to ask him back again after Judge Mendoza is confirmed. Josh agrees to take some questions as the screen fades to black. Cast :Rob Lowe as Sam Seaborn :Moira Kelly as Mandy Hampton :Dulé Hill as Charlie Young :Allison Janney as C.J. Cregg :Richard Schiff as Toby Ziegler :John Spencer as Leo McGarry :Bradley Whitford as Josh Lyman :and Martin Sheen as President Bartlet Special Guest Star :Edward James Olmos as Justice Roberto Mendoza Recurring cast :Timothy Busfield as Danny Concannon :Janel Moloney as Donna Moss Guest Starring :CCH Pounder as Deborah O'Leary :Robert David Hall as David Nessler :Vaughn Armstrong as Sgt. MacNamara Co-Starring :NiCole Robinson as Margaret Hooper :Kim Webster as Ginger :Melissa Fitzgerald as Carol Fitzpatrick :Devika Parikh as Bonnie :Jacqueline Torres as Sondra :Charles Noland as Steve :Diana Morgan as Jesse :Kris Narmont as Katie Witt :Victor Love as Mike :Jason C. Morgan as Peter :Bob Thompson as Billy :J.P. Stevenson as Jonathan :Kelly Fialing as Pretty College Student Quotes :Josh Lyman: Uh, long story short you're going to be reading a bit today about your secret plan to fight inflation. :President Josiah Bartlet: I have a secret plan to fight inflation? :Josh Lyman: No. :President Josiah Bartlet: Why am I going to be reading that I do? :Josh Lyman: It was suggested in the press room that you do. :President Josiah Bartlet: By who? :Josh Lyman: By me. :President Josiah Bartlet: You told the press I have a secret plan to fight inflation? :Josh Lyman: No, I did not. Let me be absolutely clear I DID NOT do that. Except yes, I did that. :President Josiah Bartlet: Josh, I'm a little confused. :Josh Lyman: Sir, there was this idiotic round robin. It was sarcastic! There's no way they didn't know that. They were just mad at me for imposing discipline and calling them stupid! :President Josiah Bartlet: 'Okay, before we go on, C.J., if blood is gushing from the head wound you just received from a stampeding herd of bison, you'll do the press briefing. :'Josh Lyman: 'If anyone asks you, you quit smoking years ago, and the cigarette you bummed on Air Force One was for a friend. :'Bartlet: Get. Out. :Josh: You bet. Trivia *Sam and Toby walk into a Connecticut police station to spring their Supreme Court nominee. When they introduce themselves as presidential aides, the duty officers don't believe them until the junior man recognizes Toby from a picture, with the President in the Oval Office, that appeared in that day's paper. Three seasons later, in the Christmas episode Holy Night, we see Toby's father, Julie Ziegler, admiring the same front page that has found its way into a frame and onto the wall in Toby's office. *In the scene where Josh leaves the lecture hall to talk to Toby and Sam, this was filmed in the atrium of the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. *The exterior of the police station is the show's post-production office.IMDb trivia *Polaris, the North Star, is far from the brightest star in the night sky, It is actually a magnitude 2.02 star, and is the 48th brightest star in the night sky. It forms the left end of the handle of the Little Dipper constellation.http://www.astro.illinois.edu/~jkaler/sow/polaris.html *Sam sounds like he says F@&k when he excitedly spots the police station after hours of searching with Toby. Photos 115.png 115charlie.png Notes and references Category:Episodes Category:Season 1